Semper Fi Fund Celebrates 7 years of Supporting Injured and Critically Ill Service Members

May 17th, 2011

Karen Guenther - Founder

Our story began in the spring of 2004. Karen Guenther, a registered nurse at the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital, sat at her kitchen table in base housing with a small but dedicated group of military spouses and pondered what could be done to help the growing number of service members and their families who had sacrificed so much in the name of freedom. Their solution was the Semper Fi Fund.

This week we celebrate 7 years of supporting injured and critically ill service members due to the extraordinary generosity of patriotic citizens across the country. Together we have become a mighty team, a family, which is always faithful!

A letter from our Founder:

Dear Friends, Family, and Team,

Happy 7th Anniversary! It is with your love and support that we have been able to assist over 6,000 wounded service members and their families since our first day of operations (May 17th, 2004) with over $49.5 million inassistanceand 30,000 grants!! It is truly proof of the love our country has for our Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen!

Each and every one of you touches the lives of our wounded and critically ill service members and their families on their journey from hospital bedside to back home, to a new life full of promise and hope! We are a family, a community. Just look at what this mighty team has accomplished since our founding:

-6,000 service members assisted-$49.5 million in support, 30,000 grants-A+ rating from American Institute of Philanthropy-4-Star rating from Charity Navigator

We are busier than ever with many newly wounded service members returning from Afghanistan, and we unfortunately continue to expect surges in injuries. It will take continued and renewed effort over the coming years to ensure we are able to keep supporting these heroes. God bless you all for your support, your prayers, and your love for our service members and their families!

Respectfully yours,Karen GuentherPresident, CEO, and Founder

Our mission is crucial, our duty is clear: to provide critically injured and ill service members with immediate financial aid and quality of life solutions to lift the burdens of their new reality so each family can focus on their loved one’s recovery.With the help of patriotic citizens like you, Semper Fi Fund will continue in the years to come to direct urgently needed resources to post 9-11 Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces.